With all the good bad ugly things you read and see on social media, how often do you see or read post’s, tweets, story shares about Depression? Not as often… It definitely does not have the space and recall of any kind. The question here is “Are we an ignorant society”?, “Are we intolerant to psychological health issues?” Or “we are in denial”? Why this unrealistic taboo still exists in this society?. Depression is real, it exists and our friends, family and loved ones need our support to fight it out.
Negative emotions like sadness, anxiety, misery, fear, guilt, helplessness and anger are some common emotions that usually pass after a while. As these negative emotions start clinging on to someone, making their state of mind, and emotional balances out of control and hindering everyday life, it’s time for help. Depression or Clinical Depression is a serious yet common, but treatable disorder that can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or economic and social status. With a rush of negative emotions, Depression can be overpowering and overwhelming. This feeling of depression and anxiety is not the same as those bad days that give you a reason for being sad. While fighting clinical depression one can be Depressed for no reason at all, can be depressed even when everything in their lives has been just perfect, it’s a feeling of emptiness that leaves one drained out. Loss of appetite, lack of sleep, poor concentration, anxiety, low self-esteem, and loss of interest in things one loves are some difficult emotions that one has to fight day in and out. And what makes it all the more difficult is the societal intolerance one has to go through. Flashes of negative emotions in itself are so much to handle, but does it stop at that? No… A depression sufferer also has to look for ways to deal with perceptions of people around them. Be it career, relationships or support, the discrimination and transpicuous stigma affects the everyday life of a sufferer. This intolerance and negative approach associated with depression is shoddier than the sickness itself. Lack of knowledge, compassion and tolerance makes the recovery a bumpy aisle. Clinical Depression has to be treated with much required medical attention, however, if you really wish to bring back your loved ones to their invincible self, you may begin with a promise to yourself to lead this with perseverance and absolute altruistic care. Behavioural challenges and a bad weather like distressing mood is not just exhausting for the one who is fighting depression but also quite demanding for family and close friends. The expedition may begin rough making it all look so thankless but a diligent support surely has some long-term rewards in the store.
Depression is an intractable challenge that needs a multidimensional approach to eliminate it from our society. The stigma attached to mental health disorders is the major roadblock to recovery & this has to be stopped. For centuries stigmatization subsists screening a depression sufferer with apprehension, distrust and perplexity. If an individual is being treated for depression, will the employer understand? May be yes, but the sufferer may not believe so because there stands a chance to lose employment. This gap of confidence between society and a person fighting depression has to be bridged. May ne not, because there are no policies to deal with it. To be able to help someone with Depression the most important step is to stop the stigma attached to Depression creating a congenial environment for the sufferer. This clean, sociable and compassionate environment will not only enable us to accept the limitations of a person fighting depression but at the same time give them a tolerant environment to talk and get help for recovery. It is important to understand it is nobody’s fault between the sufferer and supporter, however, it’s the supporter who has to be patient and handle situations with only one point agenda of recovery. Medical attention plays a vital role in improving psychological disorders, however, making them easily available is what needs attention. Another aspect is to understand the fact that depression does not come by choice & hence the sufferer does not have the choice to walk out of it as and when we need them to. It’s a complex process to bring them back to self and it is possible only with a society that has an open mind, compassionate heart, determination to embrace the pain in others and finally aspire to break free from age-old stigma about mental disorders.